How we work
Seven stages, and what you owe us at each one
A renovation stalls for two reasons: a decision that was not made, and a condition nobody checked. This is how we design both of those out.
The seven stages
- 01
Week 1
First call and site visit
We walk the house with you, photograph the electrical panel, look in the attic at the air handler and the duct, screen the slab for moisture where flooring is in scope, and talk about what you actually want the house to do. No drawings, no deposit.
Your part. Show us the whole house, including the parts you are embarrassed by. Those are usually the parts that set the budget.
- 02
Week 1 to 2
Budget band
A written range for the scope as described, in one of four bands, with the specific things that would push it up or pull it down. This is where most projects get reshaped, and it costs nothing.
Your part. Tell us your real number. A band that is 30 percent above your budget is useful information in week two and a disaster in week twenty.
- 03
Week 3 to 10
Design and engineering
Floor plans, elevations and details. Structural engineering for anything that carries load. A NEC 220.83 load calculation on the panel. A Manual J on the finished plan. Product approval numbers for exterior openings. This is where the scope stops moving.
Your part. Decide the hard things now: where walls go, where the laundry lives, whether the primary suite moves.
- 04
Week 8 to 12
Selections and contract
A dated selections schedule with a lead time on every line, priced into a fixed contract. Long-lead items get identified and ordered first so they are not the thing everyone waits on.
Your part. Make selections on the dates in the schedule. A two-week slip on a tile choice is a two-week slip on the job.
- 05
Week 10 to 18
Permit and mobilisation
Permit filed and tracked. Historic or architectural review where it applies. Containment built, protection down, dumpster and portable facilities placed, and the phase map confirmed in writing.
Your part. Clear the work zone, and tell us about the dog, the alarm code and the neighbour who parks across the drive.
- 06
The main stretch
Build
Demolition, structure, rough-in trades together, inspections in sequence, insulation, drywall, then finishes. Your superintendent walks it every working day and sends a Friday update with photographs.
Your part. Come to the weekly walk if you can. Fifteen minutes on site prevents most of the misunderstandings we have ever had.
- 07
Final 2 to 3 weeks, then 60 days and 11 months
Punch, closeout and return visits
We walk it with you and build the punch list together, finish it, clean, and hand over the closeout binder. Then we come back at 60 days for the settling items and at 11 months before the first year is out.
Your part. Be picky at the punch walk. It is much easier to fix things while the crew is still here.
The phase map
What each phase costs you in comfort
We build a version of this for your house in the second week, with real dates. It is the document clients tell us they used the most.
| Phase | Dust | Noise | What goes offline | Typical length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Containment and protection | None | Low | Nothing | 1 to 2 days |
| Demolition | Heavy | High, from 8 am | Kitchen and one bathroom | 3 to 8 days |
| Structure | Moderate | High in bursts | Power for a few hours | 3 to 10 days |
| Rough-in | Low | Moderate | Water and power, a day each | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Insulation and drywall | Heavy while sanding | Moderate | Nothing | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Finish | Low | Moderate | Nothing | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Punch and closeout | None | Low | Nothing | 2 to 3 weeks |
Durations are typical for a whole-home scope and are sample figures for this demo site.
Documents
Three documents run the whole job
The selections schedule
Every product, with a part number, a price and a lead time, against the week we need the decision. A slipped decision is a slipped schedule, and this is where that becomes visible.
The phase map
Dust, noise, what goes offline and the decision you owe us, phase by phase, with dates. Built in week two.
The change order log
Numbered, priced, with a schedule impact in working days and your signature before any work happens. Nothing gets built on a conversation.
Walk the seven stagesHow we work
The job runs on three documents
A written phase map in week two
Dust level, noise window, what goes offline and the decision you owe us, phase by phase.
One superintendent, start to finish
Same person from mobilisation to the 11 month return visit. Walks the job every working day.
Photographed before it is covered
Rough-in, blocking, flashing and flood tests recorded, because you cannot check them later.
Living through the work
Living through it
Can we stay in the house?
For most single-scope work, yes. For a whole-home renovation, the demolition and rough-in stretch is genuinely difficult to live through, and most of our clients move out for ten to fourteen weeks of it. We build a phase map in week two so you can decide on dates rather than on dread.
Zip-wall containment with a zipper door on every opening into the work zone, HEPA negative air during demolition and any sanding, sealed HVAC returns so dust does not tour the ductwork, and hard floor protection along every route we walk.
7:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday as standard. Some communities, particularly in Ponte Vedra Beach, restrict start times and weekend work, and we build that into the schedule.
Your superintendent, who is the same person from mobilisation to closeout, walks the job every working day and sends a Friday update with photographs. You are not routed through an office.
Start where every one of our projects starts
A two hour site visit, then a written budget band inside a week. No drawings, no deposit.